“Looking back to building the team and to where we are now, we are very pleased with what we were able to accomplish on the field and off the field as well, with the community and fan base we’ve been able to have.”
And so began Atlanta United Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra’s discussion with local media Monday, which would be the final one he would give of the team’s memorable inaugural season. There was a tone of pride in what the team accomplished, but also a clear desire for more.
“Being an expansion team we knew it would be tough, but we set high aspirations for ourselves. We fell a little bit short as far as we wanted to make a deeper playoff run. But we don’t want that to tarnish what a great season it was for us. Overall, we’re pleased with it, but it’s left everybody wanting more and wanting to go further into the playoffs and bring a championship back here.”
For many in attendance, it was the first time to talk to team leaders since their disappointing playoff loss to Columbus. But it’s easier to get a little perspective a month later, and Bocanegra says the team took plenty of credit this year.
“When you lose on penalties, it doesn’t feel good either way, it’s not a great way to go out. But they left everything on the field, and that’s something that we’re very proud of, the mental and physical effort of those guys just pushing through. But to lose like that, it hurts. So, we’ll look back on that next year and try to draw from that as we push forward.”
Bocanegra emphasized the importance of establishing Atlanta United’s style of play this year: fast and attacking on the front foot. So, bringing in players that could play that style – and bringing in Tata Martino, someone who can implement that style – set the tone from the beginning.
“We wanted to be a competitive team year one, and from then on we wanted to be part of the conversation every year, to be a championship-caliber team every year. That was our main goal. Then we had this unbelievable fan base of 11,000, 18,000, up to 36,000 season ticket holders now, and then the attendance records. So it all just started to build and come together, now next year we feel very poised.”
Now it’s time to look forward. With Monday’s press conference coming minutes after nine players were released from the team, the topic of reinforcements was on the mind of many. Bocanegra said it’s about adding depth to challenge their first XI.
“You look at a team like Toronto. They have been able to, over the course of eight or nine years, build a team that has depth. So when someone comes out of midfield, they put another guy in and the level doesn’t drop. That’s always a challenge for a first-year team. So it’s really trying to get depth. We scored over 70 goals this year, we ended up finishing the third best defense in the league and our goal differential was +30. So it’s not like we need to blow this thing up. It’s about building and creating competition at a few positions and really trying to get some depth all over the field.”
But with the expansion label officially removed, Bocanegra says it’s time for Atlanta United to cement itself as one of the elite teams in Major League Soccer.
“We would like to strengthen in a few spots, but we want to challenge for championships now. That’s why we’re here. We have a fantastic infrastructure. Arthur Blank has given us the awesome resources with the training facility and the stadium. The guys and ourselves, are provided with every chance to be successful. Now, going forward, it’s all about going as far as we can and bringing championships back to this city.”
